The causes of schizophrenia remain unknown, but it has been correlated with a few specifics. For scientists who study diseases and disorders, it's important to have an animal model in which to study it. Without knowing the cause of diseases like schizophrenia, it becomes an overwhelming challenge to study the disorder. Scientists have tried exposing animals to various conditions and so far, stressing a rat while she's pregnant can cause schizophrenia-like symptoms in the pups later in life. There are familial correlations with this disorder. If one person has it, chances are higher for other people in the same family to also have this condition, or at least to show some symptoms or tendencies.
What is Schizophrenia?
Schizophrenia is a disease affecting about 1% of the population. People with this disorder have a hard time telling real experiences from fictitious ones. It's also a challenge for schizophrenics to behave normally in social situations. There are different sub-classifications of schizophrenia, including paranoid schizophrenia and catatonic schizophrenia. It is not a disease of multiple personalities, though many people often confuse the two. Current treatments are mostly focused on alleviating the symptoms of schizophrenia, including anti-psychotic drugs and counseling-based therapy. Schizophrenia was the disease personified in the main character of the movie A Beautiful Mind.
There have been arguments that schizophrenia is caused by substance abuse, but it's not possible to tell if the substance abuse is encouraged by the schizophrenia or is causing it. It's possible that people who already begin showing schizophrenic tendencies are trying to self-medicate.
Definition: Genetic Disorder
A genetic disorder is a heritable, negative condition that runs in families and isn't caused by environmental changes or parental skills. It's heritable because it's caused by a specific mutation in genes that is passed down through reproduction. This is called trait conservation. Another trait might have a dominant effect over it so not all children always inherit all genetic disorders from their parents.
Epigenetics
It seems likely, based on the only working rat model of eliciting schizophrenia-like tendencies, that schizophrenia is caused by something pre-birth. This doesn't necessarily mean that it's a genetic disorder. It might be an epigenetic disorder. Epigenetic disorders include environmental effects within the womb that have nothing to do with genes, but perhaps the mother's diet or vitamins. Oftentimes, epigenetic traits are heritable. If a mother is overweight and eats a certain diet, the child is more likely to prefer those foods later in life. So, while there are a few forms of genetically inherited obesity or weight disorders, there are also epigenetically caused ones.
Until we learn more about schizophrenia, current thoughts on it conclude that it's most likely heritable either through genetics, or, more likely, epigenetics.
Disclaimer: The information contained in this article is for educational purposes only and should not be used for diagnosis or to guide treatment without the opinion of a health professional. Any reader who is concerned about his or her health should contact a doctor for advice.
Source
Roxanne Dryden-Edwards, "Schizophrenia" MedicineNet.com.
Sarah Parrish - Sarah Parrish began writing when she was fifteen, publishing articles in a newsletter called Getting Ready for at-risk youth. She wrote on ...
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